Florence couple's 'HoodiePillow,' an idea born from birth of triplets

Christina Izzo/The TimesChris and Dana Hindley show off their newest invention, the HoodiePillow, outside their home in Florence

FLORENCE — When Chris and Dana Hindley brought their infant triplets home from the hospital, they knew their lives would never be the same.

What they didn’t know right away was that the babies would inspire a new product — a pillowcase with an attached hood designed to mimic the effect of sleeping in a hooded sweatshirt.

A key selling point of the HoodiePillow, which recently made its internet debut, is that it blocks out light and sound while keeping the wearer warm and cozy at the same time, they said.

The idea evolved as Chris Hindley, who is a light sleeper, was trying to adjust to sleeping with newborn triplets around, he said.

“I started sleeping with a pillow on top of my head,” he said. “My wife started teasing me about it so I looked it up online. Apparently a lot of people sleep that way.”

The Hindleys toyed with a variety of designs, but they kept coming back to their initial idea of a hooded pillow, they said. Product designer and friend Matt Scheuerer helped bring the idea to life, and in January 2011 they patented the HoodiePillow.

The couple handed out prototypes to their friends and family, eager to see what they thought.

“We got good feedback,” Hindley said. “We found that people were using it while they were lounging, in addition to when they were sleeping.”

They counted that as a positive — another unique selling feature for the quirky product.
“We found that people really liked feeling cocooned,” he said. “It’s one of those products you have to experience to truly get.”

Starting up the business online was fairly easy, they said. Hindley, a graphic designer, designed the website and the logo.

His wife, a copywriter, wrote and proofed the site. Working in the design industry, they have similarly creative friends to call on for help, like a photographer who shot pictures of the product in their kitchen, Hindley said.

The couple has the HoodiePillows shipped from the manufacturer to their Florence home, where they box them up and send them to customers.

“Since we have three kids, we don’t get much time to ourselves,” Hindley said. “We’re happy doing this as a couple. We get bored if there’s nothing to do.”

After they launched their website, the Hindleys sold their first two pillows to a Canadian customer within an hour and drew 2,000 visitors in the first week. They were amazed someone had stumbled across their product so quickly, they said.

“We have our sights set realistically,” Hindley said. “But with the nature of the product, I think it will flow on its own.”

He would not say exactly how many have been sold so far, but sales have exceeded their expectations, he said. The couple is now gearing up for the cold-weather and gift-giving seasons, working up plans to shoot a video promotion for TV in the hopes of spreading the word further about their creation.

“It’s great for keeping you warm,” Hindley said of the product. “And it’s really ideal for college students who want to block out the noise and light from their roommates.”
“Or,” his wife said, “for people who have triplets.”